Ghost of the XMen
by Hey Romeo
Summary: Laue, a frightened sixteen year-old with a traumatic past, is the latest member to join the ranks of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Join her and the X-Men through ups and downs as a brand new story unfolds.
1. Prologue: Dark Future Ahead

_A/N: I introduce to you my first ever X-Men fanfic. It is loosely based on some of the events taking place in the comics, but this is an original universe, so do not assume any event happened unless stated in the fic. Personalities and back-stories should not vary too much. Also, this story is set in the present, focusing on an original character, but with very strong influences from canon characters. Please R&R, I'd love to know what you guys think! _

_Disclaimer:I do not own the X-Men or any familiar topics that are mentioned throughout the story. This is a fan fiction and it is meant for entertainment only. I am in no way earning money from this. Laue is my own creation. _

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><p><strong>Prologue: Dark Future Ahead<strong>

_Three Months Ago_

It was a beautiful day in New York City, with the summer sun shining high in the cloudless blue sky. To most people, it was a day for shopping trips in Times Square, nighttime escapades to local bars and clubs, hanging out at the beach or just lounging on a terrace with a good book, peacefully over-looking the busy city.

But for people like Senator Robert Kelly, today was a day where change was about to happen, a change that would have a great effect on the city. The Senator, dressed in a fancy gray suit and a matching striped tie, stood on his podium, looking over at a crowd of eager citizens all united in Central Park. A formal smile was spread on his thin lips, glasses perched on his nose. In between his hands was a well-prepared speech.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!" Kelly said, pausing to let the crowd cheer. His smile widened as photographers clicked away at their cameras. "Today!" he said loudly. "Today is a day that will be marked in history!"

The crowd erupted again as posters of all shapes and sizes were waved into the air. All of them represented _one_ thing – that Mutants were not welcomed, hated, and for some, wanted dead.

"As all of you know, earlier this year I was elected Governor of New York, and I have since made it my duty to represent, honor and protect the citizens of this fine city – protect them from the escalating Mutant threat!"

More cheering, more waving of Anti-Mutant posters, more insults thrown at Mutantkind.

If there was a group in the crowd that wasn't enthused by the Senator's words, it was the three teenagers standing close together, three pairs of eyes locked on the podium a couple dozen feet ahead of them.

Charles Xavier had warned the residents of the school not to come here today, but these three had managed to slip out unnoticed. At least, they convinced themselves that. With a Telepath as a headmaster, it was pretty hard to do anything unnoticed.

"This is bullshit," Bobby Drake whispered to his two friends.

"Yep. It's somethin' alright." Rogue whispered back.

Kitty Pryde, unlike her two counterparts, stayed silent, her hands clasped together so tightly that her knuckles were white.

"Let me introduce to you, fellow citizens, Officer Nathan Silverman, the first chief officer of the Mutant Response Division." Kelly announced proudly, waving an arm towards a bulky African-American man with shortly cropped black hair, menacingly dark eyes and a long jagged scar making his intimidating face that much more intimidating. He was in his early to mid fifties, but no one would ever dream to argue that he wasn't capable of taking down a couple of trouble-making Mutants.

"Officer Silverman has been working for the NYPD since 1979; he was without a doubt the perfect candidate for the job!" Kelly went on explaining. "For the past two years now, Silverman has been responsible for the arrests of a dozen Mutants, notably that of Mortimer Toynbee, a known member of the Mutant Terrorist group known as the Brotherhood. Everybody, welcome to the podium, Officer Nathan Silverman!"

Silverman did not look like the type of man to speak in front of a large crowd, but he was ushered in front of the microphone anyway, clearing his throat before making sure, with the tip of his finger, that the microphone worked.

The deafening screech told him it was ready for him to speak.

"Yes," he said awkwardly, "Last night, with the help of our Senator, the Government of the United States signed off on the establishment of the first Mutant Response Division – right here in New York City." he paused, glancing at Kelly for support. When the politician did nothing but give a false smile in the man's direction, Silverman was forced to go on. "Starting immediately, we will be responsible for the growing Mutant threat. We will do what we are required to do in order to keep the city safe."

The entire crowd of humans roared, clapping and cheering. A selected number of individuals, all of them Mutants, most of them shielded by hoods or sunglasses, did not look as pleased – actually, they weren't pleased at all.

The Mutants of the city were now forced to live in fear, unable to feel safe in their own homes. What was going to come next? As Rogue, Iceman and Shadowcat, three teenagers living at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, stood side by side, hidden amidst the crowd of Mutant haters, they couldn't help but fear the worst.


	2. Guardian Angel

**Chapter 1: Guardian Angel**

Things had so quickly gone out of control, and now all Laue could do was run, hoping that _someone_ up above would listen to her.

She had a lot of faith and trust in her own two legs, but in a godly creature that was supposed to make miracles happen and make the world a happy, peaceful place? Yeah – whatever faith she'd had in a god had long since vanished, along with anything else she might have believed in.

For what seemed like an eternity, Laue kept on running. She wasn't even close to an athlete however, and after a while she was out of breath. She was panting hard, and every time she took another step, it was as though an electric current was running through her aching muscles. But she had to keep going – it was the only way she would escape.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." she panted, glancing down at her body every other second to see if her ability was working. It wasn't – as she'd expected. It was a touchy thing, her ability. When she so desperately needed it, she couldn't get it to work. But when she didn't – when she least wanted it to show its ugly head – well then, there it was!

Funny how things worked sometimes.

Laue cursed as she turned a corner, glancing behind her and spotting the officers gaining on her. She cursed again.

Her long mane of jet black hair whipped at her face as she ran against the November wind, her slim black leather jacket doing next to nothing to keep her warm. There was a hole in the left knee of her jeans and her skin was torn, dried blood smeared around the small, gaping wound. Her black nail polish was chipped and her nails were bitten down to the skin. She was skinnier than she'd ever been, looking so vulnerable at only five feet, two inches.

Her dark green eyes were determined and fierce, however. She wasn't about to give up.

_The MRD can screw themselves if they think they'll catch me_, she thought to herself as she made yet another unexpected turn, hearing the sounds of heavy boots and trucks behind her – she needed to put more distance between herself and those people, but how?

Without thinking, she made her way into an alley and managed to grip the iron pole that was connected to the safety exit of a building. She kicked her legs and flipped over the pole, climbing the stairs four at a time. She had almost reached the roof, three floors above, when she saw the MRD helicopter.

"Shit!" she hissed before glancing below her at the set of stairs she'd climbed. The MRD was already climbing up. She was trapped. Unless...

Adrenaline seeped through every fiber of her being as she started to run straight for the roof's edge. She didn't think – didn't look down – and let herself jump into the air, knowing full well that she was a couple dozen feet above the ground and that if she couldn't grip the building on the other side of the alley... she was kind of royally screwed.

Fortunately for her, the fingertips of her left hand grazed the edge of said building she needed to grab at for dear life, her right hand quickly moving up so as to steady her hold. Her muscles were weak from lack of proper nutrition and from running, but she forced herself to climb onto the roof, only giving herself a split-second to recuperate before she started running again.

She climbed down a brand new set of stairs, skipping the last floor completely and landing on a dumpster. She could still hear the MRD chasing her; they were somehow finding intelligent ways to catch up to her.

She began running again, but quickly found herself trapped before three brick walls and about half a dozen MRD officers, two trucks and many loaded weapons.

The young Mutant stopped dead in her tracks before slowly backing away. Her muscles were suddenly frozen as she felt the brick wall against her boney back. She waited for her death to come, knowing there was absolutely no hope left.

But then, as if some godly creature up above had listened to her pleas, she saw something – or someone – falling from the sky, coming straight for her. But the thing is, he wasn't falling. He was _flying_. All she could see was his silhouette; he was a tall and broad man, but what caught her attention most of all was the massive wings that were keeping him steady in the air.

Without wasting a second, the MRD officers had aimed their weapons at the flying man, preparing themselves to shoot. Laue took this opportunity to silently and stealthily hurry to the nearest hiding spot, a battered old dumpster.

"The Mutie is getting away!"

That was when everything became a blur. Laue felt a fist connect with her jaw and vaguely saw the asphalt getting closer and closer before she felt her entire being impact with the ground.

She blinked rapidly, hearing a gunshot somewhere to her right before hearing a curse and the sound of a weapon reloading. _Good_, she thought, _they missed_.

She blinked again and, with difficulty, focused on the winged-Mutant. A part of her wanted to make sure he was okay, even though she couldn't be sure he truly was on her side. Not all Mutants were nice people; she'd learned that fact by watching way too many news broadcasts these past couple years.

As his white-feathered wings flapped, Laue could feel the wind playing with her hair and stroking her dirty, sunken and bruised cheeks. She saw him punch and kick his way towards her, and then the next she she recalled was being hoisted away in a pair of firm, muscular arms.

Laue didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until her chest felt like exploding.

"I must have someone watching over me," she said breathlessly, holding onto him for dear life. She really wasn't fond of heights. "I've been sent a Guardian Angel." she added with an embarrassed laugh.

Warren Worthington III smiled, his blue eyes twinkling a little due to the city lights. Down below, Laue could see the MRD trucks zooming away – something told her they were far from finished with her however.

"Why did you save me? You don't even know me." she asked the Angel. "You could have gotten yourself captured – or killed!" she added, unable to believe that someone would actually risk that for _her_.

"Us Mutants got to stick together." the young blond man said with yet another one of his charismatic smiles. It was then, as they flew over streets and buildings, that Laue recognized him.

"You're from the family that funds the senator's campaign, aren't you?" she breathed, momentarily unsure whether she could trust him. If he truly was responsible for the funds that were helping the MRD catch and imprison Mutants, then he was as bad as the rest of them. Especially considering he was a Mutant himself. But then why risk his life – and identity – saving her from those he was supposedly helping?

"You're thinking of my father," Warren clarified, a solemn expression falling on his handsome face. "I'm not like him." he added simply. Laue didn't understand what he meant, but she didn't question it further, instead focusing on his face to keep herself from looking down at the ground – it was so far away and if Warren was to drop her...

"Don't worry, I've gotcha." Warren said, evidently feeling Laue's heart pounding heavily against his own. She tightened her grip on him, her cheeks pigmented with red. She was grateful it was night time, knowing that her features were harder to make out.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to flying around in someone's arms." Laue said.

At this point, Warren had silently landed on the rooftop of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse a couple miles from the alley Laue had been certain would be her final resting spot. She smiled a little awkwardly at the man before dropping to her feet and flexing her tense muscles.

"Well um," she said, "Thanks for saving my ass out there..." she added, unable to meet his eye. Truth be told, this was the first time someone had helped her out since her powers had been discovered by her foster family almost a month ago. She didn't really know how to handle it.

"No problem..." Warren trailed off, a white gloved hand extending to shake the young woman's. Laue felt as though introductions were necessary since he had literally saved her life. So she gave him her best attempt at a smile and shook his hand.

"I'm Laue Aberdeen." she said shyly.

Warren walked over to the edge of the roof and look around at the cityscape. Laue followed suit, standing next to him, her eyes unable to look at anything but the massive wings that had been contracted against his back, the tips almost reaching his ankles.

"Do you have a place to stay, Laue?" he asked.

Laue opened her mouth, about to tell him that she did, but then thought better of it. An alley located between a coffee shop and an Italian restaurant couldn't be considered as a residence, could it? So instead she shook her head. "No, I don't." she admitted warily.

She regretted her words instantly, for Warren was now looking at her with a pitying look plastered across his clean-shaven face. Laue suddenly grew very defensive, the girl she'd been turned into these past couple weeks making its first appearance of the night.

"Don't pity me, rich boy. So I'm not living in some posh mansion like you, that doesn't mean I'm not fending for myself just fine." she snapped. Laue suddenly felt both ashamed and hostile. She took a few steps back and looked at the glow of a light through a window on the other side of the street.

"Would you like me to–" Warren began.

"I'm not going to some homeless shelter." Laue cut him off, spinning around so that she was completely facing him, her hands balled into fists. She didn't even realize what was happening to her body, but Warren sure did. He saw her limbs slowly disappearing to the point where she was completely invisible.

"That's not what I meant," Warren said carefully, his eyes suddenly darting back and forth. "Are you still there...?" he asked uncertainly.

That was when Laue glanced down at herself and realized her power had kicked in. She snorted. _A couple minutes too late_, she thought. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to concentrate on being visible again. It was a hard task that demanded a lot of energy. When she opened her eyes again, Warren could see her, but she felt drained.

Adding the stress of running around without stopping for half an hour and not eating anything in the last twenty-four hours, not to mention how emotional she was at this very moment, it was perfectly natural for her to suddenly collapse, falling onto her knees before letting herself fall into a sitting position.

"It's called the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." Warren began again, taking a careful step forward. "It's a place for Mutants like us to learn how to control their Mutant abilities and feel _safe_." Warren explained. He took another step towards the tired young girl before bending down and placing a hand on her slim shoulder. Laue made no move to shrug him off, staring into his eyes.

"You'd be accepted in a heartbeat." he said, but Laue didn't have to be convinced much more. She couldn't not trust Warren. All he'd done was try to help her – and this school, Laue had heard of it. Wasn't it some expensive private school in Westchester? She had heard of it on the News a couple times. "Or you can stay here and freeze to death on the streets – unless you get caught by the MRD again." Warren added with a somewhat playful smile.

Laue rolled her eyes before letting Warren help her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and closed her eyes shut until he had taken off and they were in the sky.

"Thanks." Laue said softly.


	3. Pryde of the XMen

**Chapter 2: Pryde of the X-Men**

It was near midnight when Warren landed on the grounds of the school and Laue was quick to notice that all of the lights were out, meaning everyone had undoubtedly gone to bed. As she steadied her footing on the ground, Laue couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous.

"Are you sure you're welcomed here?" she asked as alarms went off in the mansion. The last thing she wanted was to be attacked by Mutants. She was just so exhausted. But the moment she actually caught sight of the school – as in really looked at it – her thoughts of not being welcomed vanished. The school was _beautiful_. It looked like an old mansion that had been renovated to fit a bunch of hormonal teenagers with superhuman powers.

It was pretty damn cool.

Unfortunately for her, time to gawk at the marvels that were the school and its grounds was cut short. Before she had time to react, a figure burst out of the front doors and launched itself at her and Warren.

Laue dodged the man, a yelp escaping her mouth as her left side hit the ground hard. In a split-second, the man – he smelt a lot like alcohol – was inches from her and long claws extended from his hands.

"Wolverine, she's with me!" Warren exclaimed, now a couple feet in the air in an attempt to dodge the rabid man.

Before Warren even told him however, Wolverine had backed off, apparently coming to the realization himself. "Sorry, Chuck." he said, which perplexed Laue. Chuck?

_Hello, Laurianne. _

Laue's eyes went wide as she looked around for the source of the voice, but when she couldn't figure it out, she frantically glanced at Warren for help.

_Do not be alarmed, my name is Charles Xavier. I am the headmaster of this school you find so remarkable._

Laue did not like having a Telepath inside her head, least of all the Headmaster of the Institute. She crossed her arms against her chest and scowled, trying to block him out. She didn't hear him speak again, but a part of her could tell he was in her mind somewhere, reading her most personal memories.

"I will not pry inside your mind, Laurianne. You don't have to worry." This time it wasn't just inside her head; as her green eyes darted from Warren to the school, she noticed a bald man in a wheelchair approaching her and the two men.

"It's Laue." Laue said flatly. She absolutely hated her name – it was just so _fancy_ and anyone who was in Laue's presence for even a second understood quickly how far from fancy she was. Quite unlike Warren and his fancy suit.

"Very well, _Laue_." Charles said with a smile. He was trying to be warm and welcoming, but Laue could see the worry in his eyes. She couldn't help but assume it was because of her. "It's a bit chilly for my taste, let's go inside." he added, and the four Mutants made their way towards the main entrance.

The first thing that came to Laue's mind as she crossed the threshold was _wow_.

"Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." Charles said, evidently after reading Laue's mind. Laue grimaced, attempting to put some kind of barrier between her mind and Charles'. The middle-aged paraplegic just looked up at her, blue eyes into green. "You ran into the MRD?" he asked, but Laue knew he already knew the answer.

"She was ambushed a couple miles east of Central Park. They had another Mutant in one of the holding cells at the back of one of the trucks – I didn't recognize him." Warren explained, much to Laue's annoyance. She was quite capable of explaining her own story, thank you very much. But then again, she hadn't realized another Mutant had been locked up when she'd been chased. Warren was clearly more observant than she was.

"They caught me pick–" she paused mid-word, wondering if Charles would call the cops on her for stealing, but then remembered he probably already knew. "I was um... I thought I was invisible but... It sometimes just randomly turns off." she said awkwardly. She was so embarrassed at the lack of control she had over her ability.

"These freaking Mardees are really startin' to piss me off." Wolverine commented under his breath. Laue glanced at him and found he had retracted his long metal claws back into his hands.

"We can talk about it more later," Charles said, a warning look in his eye as he glanced from Wolverine to Laue. "Laue must be exhausted; you can sleep here tonight and we can talk more about you enrolling at the school in the morning." Charles said.

"Who said anything about me enrolling at the school?" Laue asked hastily.

She had never really mixed well with school – either she got herself in trouble or she was pushed around and bullied by the popular cheerleaders. Then there was the issue with her very poor grades, and the fact that she hadn't been to school in a month, ever since running away from home.

"Like I said," Charles said with a tired smile, "Sleep on it, we'll talk more in the morning."

Wolverine, much to his dismay, was the one to lead Laue to her room. He didn't speak the entire time they walked, climbing to the second floor in complete silence. Laue occasionally glanced his way, wanting to ask questions – but she chickened out every time. This Wolverine character was intimidating. Even scarier than the MRD officers had been – and they'd been _really_ scary.

"Well, this is it." Wolverine stated in his gruff tone, his eyes darting towards a closed door. "Goodnight, kid." he added.

Laue wanted to tell him that she was _not_ a kid, but decided against it. Instead, she wordlessly opened the door, quickly closing it behind her before Wolverine could say anything else to her. She _really_ was not impressed with that guy.

Too tired to think about any of what had happened in the last two hours however, Laue made her way towards the four-poster bed nearest the window, crawling into it still dressed in her torn jeans and leather jacket. After all, she had absolutely nothing else to change into.

Her sleep that night was restless. She tossed and turned, nightmares plaguing her mind.

"_You damn Mutie! You aren't welcomed in this house anymore!" her foster father had yelled upon finding out that Laue was a Mutant._

"_But I'm not–" Laue had pressed on, but the man that had been like a father to her for almost two years wanted nothing to do with her, throwing her out onto the streets like an unwanted stray. _

_And then all of a sudden the memory grew foggy as officers from the MRD invaded it, changing reality to dreams as began falling – falling... _

"Shit!" Laue yelled as she hit her head hard on the wooden floor. She glanced around her, noticing that her bedspread and sheets were tangled up around her sweaty body. It was only just barely getting light out; probably around seven in the morning.

When she glanced around the room, she was caught by surprise when spotted someone passing right through the wall, kind of like a ghost.

Laue screamed, which only made the girl scream. The two girls stared at each other, screaming like maniacs.

Until Laue managed to stop herself, quickly getting to her feet.

"What the hell – what are you doing in my room?" Laue asked.

"This is _my_ room. I've been living here for the past two years!" the girl retorted.

Laue looked puzzled. Maybe Wolverine had put her in the wrong room? Still angry and not wanting to be the one proved wrong, Laue crossed her arms over her chest. "Wolverine sent me here last night when I got to the Mansion." she stated.

"Oh! Well, I guess that kind of does make sense." the girl said, pausing for a moment as she played with her ponytail. "Most people have roommates... I used to have one, Tabitha Smith, but she left the school a couple months back... Oh, by the way – I'm Kitty. Kitty Pryde." she added with a smile, extending her hand.

Kitty was really pretty, Laue noted. She had long brown hair that was currently tied in a messy ponytail and her sleepy eyes were a creamy hazel color. She wasn't much taller than Laue, only a couple of inches. She was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a Chicago Bulls T-shirt.

Laue reluctantly took the offered hand, half-surprised to find that her hand didn't go through Kitty's like Kitty had gone through the wall.

"I'm Laue Aberdeen." she replied.

"I've had this room all to myself for almost three months," Kitty said loudly, which instantly had Laue scowling, believing that Kitty was not pleased at the new living arrangements. "I'm excited to finally have a roommate! I'm really happy to meet you!" she added, which came as quite a surprise. Laue stood there looking like an idiot, holding her pillow closer to her chest. She really wasn't good with people – especially not perky ones like Kitty.

"Yeah, same." she decided to say. Short and simple.

The two girls went silent as Kitty went ahead and made her bed, hopping around from one side to the other, filled with energy. Laue wondered how _anyone_ can be so up-beat when a full on Human/Mutant war was just around the corner.

"Breakfast should be in about an hour. Somebody always makes something..." Kitty said casually after she'd finished with her bed. She stood facing Laue, who hadn't moved from her standing position next to her own bed. "Want to come? I can introduce you to the rest of the gang."

"Sure, sounds good." Laue said with a slight shrug. She didn't feel very social right now, but Kitty was trying to be nice and the least she could do was not be an antisocial pain in the ass.

"Are you from here? I'm from Chicago – Xavier was the one to find me when my powers first manifested two years ago." Kitty explained. "I've been studying here ever since." she added.

"I'm from Montana." Laue said, her tone of voice hinting at the fact that she did not want to get into this topic of conversation with a complete stranger – or anyone at all, for that matter.

Seconds ticked by in a very awkward silence.

"So, what brought you to New York, then?" Kitty asked conversationally, walking over to her oak vanity and running a brush through her brown hair. She was looking at her new roommate through the mirror.

"I don't want to talk about it." Laue said as she glanced away from the back of Kitty's head, instead staring idly at her unmade bed. "I'm going to shower, I reek like a street rat – don't worry, I'll find my way." she added, wondering if maybe she could get a change of clothes somehow. After a month of not bathing and practically wearing the same thing, she was in dire need of freshening up.

"Oh," said Kitty awkwardly. "Okay."


	4. Mansion Madness

**Chapter 3: Mansion Madness**

The first thing Laue learned about the Mansion was that something strange was always going on, no matter the time of day. She had gotten out of Kitty's dorm room, hoping the showers would be nearby, only to find herself running into – quite literally – into a boy... who then became four boys. They were all identical, with the same tall and lanky frame, the same boyish features, the same dark brown hair and light blue eyes.

"Sorry!" one of them said.

"My bad!" the second said simultaneously.

Laue just kept walking, not even commenting on what she'd seen. When she glanced back behind her, the boys were one again.

It took her a good ten minutes, but ultimately she found her destination and was quite grateful when she found the bathroom empty. She stripped down and turned the hot water tap as far as it would go, barely even touching the cold one. She hadn't had a hot shower in such a long time that the scalding hot water on her skin was perfect bliss.

She washed and scrubbed until she was raw, shampooing her hair until it squeaked at her touch. She didn't want to leave the comfort of the water, but it was slowly growing colder and her skin was looking more and more like a wrinkled prune.

It was the arrival of two girls talking animatedly between each other about what they would be having for breakfast that forced Laue to get out, tightly wrapping a white towel around her thin body. Her stomach grumbled.

She got dressed in her old clothes; her purple T-shirt, her leather coat and her pair of ripped blue jeans. Her clothes reeked, but it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. The other option was walking around stark naked.

As she walked back to Kitty's room, not wanting to go to the dining room all by herself, Laue couldn't help but hear whispering about her.

"I heard she was attacked by the MRD last night." one boy with blond hair said.

"She doesn't look too beaten up – must be some fighter." another added with a sleazy smirk on his face.

Laue didn't pay them any more attention than was necessary, walking a couple more feet towards Kitty's dorm.

"What do you think she did to get chased by the Mardees?" a tall Brazilian girl with curly blonde hair and honey-colored eyes asked. Her roommate, a perky-looking Chinese girl, looked curiously at the new arrival but didn't reply, because Laue was staring back at them, looking a little angry.

But Laue didn't have to think about them too long, because the next thing she knew, Kitty was running through the wall, stopping right in front of Laue.

"Hey! Laue, I was looking for you! Are you coming down for breakfast?" Kitty asked.

Running a hand through her damp hair, Laue gave Kitty her best attempt at a smile. "Yeah, sure." she said.

The moment they went downstairs, the smell of eggs, bacon and sausage filled the air. Laue looked at Kitty in amazement. "Is breakfast always this fancy?" she asked without thinking.

"Not always, but today _is_ Sunday." Kitty informed. Laue was surprised; she had been so lost in time this past month; the only moment she could really tell what date it was or what day of the week it was, was when she found a newspaper stand.

"Ah, Laue, how did you sleep?" a familiar voice called from behind. At first, Laue thought he was talking to her in her head, but when she glanced behind her, she saw Charles sitting at the end of the kitchen table next to a white-haired woman that could very easily be a goddess, considering how beautiful she was.

"I slept alright." she responded.

Not wanting to get into a big conversation, Laue followed Kitty to get herself a plate, which she filled with five of the largest eggs, a handful of bacon and three juicy sausages. On her way to the table, she filled a cup with steaming coffee, adding milk and three spoonfuls of sugar.

Kitty just looked perplexed, standing there with her one egg and a piece of toast.

Silently the two girls went and sat down between 'two of Kitty's friends'. One was a guy with light brown hair and light brown eyes. He had a cocky smile on his face, cracking jokes and eating as though he'd been raised with a gang of monkeys. Laue had a feeling she would like him.

"That's Bobby Drake – or Iceman, as we sometimes call him. He can manipulate ice." Kitty explained, already cutting into her eggs. "And that beside you is Pixie." she added. Pixie was a petite girl with bright bubblegum pink hair and darker pink eyes. She had elf-like ears and colorful wings. Laue could see why she was called Pixie.

"Guys, this is Laue. My new roommate." Kitty introduced.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Pixie said in a weak English accent.

Laue filled her mouth with food and started to chew. She had missed warm, fresh food. It felt so good as it went down her throat and filling her empty stomach. She took another bite, and then another one, a smile spreading on her face as her hunger was slowly but surely vanishing.

"What are your powers, anyway?" Bobby – or Iceman – asked after a short time.

Laue used up the time that it took for her to swallow her large mouthful of sausage to think of her answer. The three were all looking at her expectantly, and Laue even noticed a couple other people looking her way, wanting to know more about this new Mutant that had arrived late last night. Everyone seemed to know about her – odd how they hadn't figured out her power yet.

"I can um," Laue began, taking a sip from her coffee. "I can turn invisible... I'm not really good at it though." she explained awkwardly. It was the first time she was talking about her ability out loud, and that was scary. She knew she was in a room filled with other people like her, but still. Back home, she'd been literally chased away because she was a Mutant. The last thing she wanted was for it to happen again.

_Your among friends, Laue. Here, you will never be persecuted for what you are._

Laue's head snapped to the left, where she eyed Charles Xavier – was he _really_ going to get into her mind again today?

"Attention, everyone." Charles said aloud, this time speaking to the entire table. About twenty people stopped talking, eating or doing whatever it is they were doing. Everyone was fixed on the Headmaster of the school. "I'd like to introduce you to Laue Aberdeen; if she so chooses, she could be a new student here at the school."

Everyone's attention turned to Laue, as if expecting her to make a decision right then and there. Looking from Kitty to Pixie, and then finally at Bobby, Laue thought about the last twelve hours. She'd been chased down by Mutant-hating police officers, she'd flown in the arms of a winged-Mutant, been attacked by a drunk Mutant with long metal claws, had her mind invaded by a bald man in a wheelchair, had met a girl who could walk through walls... But what she really remembered was sleeping in a good, comfortable bed for the first time in a month, had a hot shower, gotten a really good meal...

Sure, maybe Laue didn't trust any of these people, and maybe crowds made her feel claustrophobic, and maybe she felt as if she had absolutely no control on her Mutant ability, but if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that this was the greatest place she'd ever been in since coming to New York.

"I think I'll stick around." she said with a half-smile.

After eating to the point where she felt like bursting, Laue decided to go look around at the place. She was surprised when Bobby suggested he could give her a little tour.

"Hey, the world as we know it is about to end because of a Mutant-hating Senator. I'm allowed to try and have a love life here." Bobby had joked, which had only earned him an eye-roll from both Laue and Kitty.

"Keep dreaming, Frosty." Laue scoffed, but she was unable to hide the tiny smile that hinted her amusement.

"I'd offer to tag along and save you from getting your heart frozen and shattered into tiny pieces, but I have a Danger Room session with Colossus." Kitty laughed before phasing through the kitchen floor.

"What?" Laue asked Bobby.

"He's Kitty's boyfriend – giant Russian metal dude." Bobby explained with a shake of his head. "Brainless with an oversized ego, if you ask me."

"I'm not talking about Colossus. I mean the Danger Room." Laue said.

"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Bobby said sheepishly, "It's only the coolest _freaking_ place on earth!" he added with enthusiasm. "But it's the last stop on our tour, so you'll have to be patient." he concluded with a smirk.

"Is that your way to keep me from walking away from you?" Laue asked.

"Maybe." Bobby laughed before opening the door that led to the back courtyard. "After you." he said in a false attempt at a gentlemanly tone.

It was only nine o'clock in the morning, but already the grounds were buzzing with activity. The white-haired goddess (Laue had learned from Kitty that her name was Storm) was watching over a group of Mutants running around. Before Laue's very eyes was an abundance of power demonstration.

A girl – the same Brazilian one that had asked her friend what she thought Laue had done to get chased by the MRD – was shining brightly and it looked as though her hands and hair were made of flame.

"That's Magma – she's... not my type." Bobby said with a chuckle.

"You're hilarious." Laue said sarcastically.

They walked around a bit, meeting an older blond guy who could release plasma blasts from his hands. His name was Alex Summers. Bobby also introduced Laue to the guy that had transformed himself into a pair of triplets. Turns out, Jamie Madrox was just one guy – but with the ability to multiply himself.

"So what's the X-Men like?" Laue asked once they had entered the Mansion again, Bobby now showing her the living room and where all of the cool video games were stashed.

Laue had heard a lot about the Brotherhood through word of mouth, newspaper articles and the occasion report on television, but the X-Men were a different story. They were more careful about concealing their identity – no one actually knew what Xavier's School really was for or that it was the headquarters of the X-Men.

"Well, the team is led by Scott Summers – he's Alex's big brother. He can shoot optic blasts. There's Wolverine, Beast... Scott's girlfriend Jean Grey, there's Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue... and Kitty... or Shadowcat." he said. "I'm a trainee; I should be a full X-Men in the next couple months." he boasted.

"How long have they been a team?" Laue asked.

"Oh, long before Mutants were actually known to the world – Professor X started the team in the eighties, before we were even born. It evolved over time though; became the kick-ass team we all know and love." he said.

That didn't really answer much of Laue's questions, but she didn't ask anything else, deciding that Bobby probably didn't know – or couldn't tell her – half the things the X-Men had been up to these last couple years.

"So are you going to show me the Danger Room now?" Laue asked.

Bobby gave her a large, goofy smile, holding out his hand. "Sure," he said.

Laue rolled her eyes, waving his hand away. "Just lead the way, and no funny business." she said flatly.

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><p><em>AN: I really hope you guys like this; don't worry, the fluff won't last long. Soon the plot will really kick off. _

_Want more? I want at least two reviews! :) _


	5. Dangerous Times I

**Chapter 4: Dangerous Times I**

Bobby led Laue to an elevator and together they started to go down into the basement of the school. When the elevator doors slid open, Laue was looking at a long metal hallway that led to various different metal doors, locked with very advanced technology.

"It's just over there," Bobby said, nodding in the right direction before the two Mutants began walking to one door in particular. Bobby pressed a couple buttons on a keypad and a metal door slid open. They had to enter yet another elevator. This one went only a floor up however, and when the doors opened, Laue could see a metal path that led into a circular room with cameras, a lot of buttons and massive windows that overlooked the room below.

"This is the command center for the Danger Room," he explained. "You can communicate with it when you're actually _in _the Danger Room, but otherwise, here's where you can control all of the magic. Cool, huh?" Bobby looked at Laue expectantly.

"Yeah, definitely." Laue said as she took a couple steps forward to examine the commands. There were so many buttons, all of them completely foreign. "And somebody actually knows how to use this?" she asked as her head whipped back, eyes meeting the Iceman's.

"I know my way around it." Bobby said, as if this wasn't a big deal. Then again, he omitted to mention the fact that most X-Men and the trainees kind of _had_ to know their way around it, considering how much time they spent training every week.

Laue glanced out at the lower level from the large windows. She couldn't help but gasp when she saw what was down there. So many gadgets – a machine was shooting red laser blasts, the metal floor was occasionally dropped, leaving a big black hole in its place. Walls closed in on each other... What was really fascinating however, was seeing Kitty and a large metal man avoiding and fighting through the many obstacles.

"Oh, that was a close one!" Bobby cheered. Laue was surprised to find him standing a foot away from her, looking down at the two mutants in the Danger Room. "Get him Kitty!" he added with a grin.

"You know she's fighting holographic robots, right?" Laue asked.

"That doesn't mean they aren't dangerous! Or entertaining to watch!" Bobby replied with a laugh.

As the minutes ticked by, Laue learned a lot about Colossus and Kitty. For starters, the two definitely looked as if they were a couple, confirming what Bobby had stated earlier that morning. Well, the boyfriend part. Not necessarily the 'Giant Russian Metal Dude' part. Although he was quite big – and definitely made of metal. The way he constantly wanted to protect Kitty was evident by his gestures and the way he always glanced around for her.

Kitty seemed to be perfectly capable of handling herself however; on more than one occasion, she was the one to save Colossus from harm by phasing him through robots and walls that were trying to crush them.

Fifteen minutes later, Kitty said something – probably a command – because the next moment, everything in the Danger Room was shut down. The gadgets and gizmos returned to their respective places within the metal walls, floor and ceiling, and the robots vanished into thin air.

Colossus seemed to have noticed Laue and Bobby, for he pointed at them as he exchanged words with Kitty. A couple seconds later, they had joined the two on-lookers in the circular room above.

"Like what you're seeing?" Kitty asked with a smirk.

By then, Colossus had transformed into his human form, and Laue couldn't help but glance at him for just a fraction of a second – he was _really_ good-looking.

"Yeah, I do." she replied without thinking. Fortunately Kitty didn't notice anything, walking over to the commands and pressing a couple buttons.

"Well great! Don't worry, you'll have your chance to try it soon enough!" Kitty said as she turned around to face Laue and the two boys.

And try she did. The following day, Laue was summoned to the Danger Room, along with Kitty, Pixie, Alex and another student named Jubilee. Laue found it incredible how these four students could joke around and laugh when the government had officers hunting down Mutants – hunting _them_ down.

"Alright, everyone!" Scott said, emerging into the Danger Room from the circular command room. He looked serious – way too serious. At first, Laue thought something was wrong, that maybe the school was under attack or something, but then when she whispered her worries to Kitty, the phasing Mutant confirmed that Scott was _always_ serious.

"Serious is like his default setting. And it's jammed there." Alex added, overhearing the exchange.

"We have a new addition to the class – Laue Aberdeen. She's unfamiliar with how our Danger Room works, so I expect everyone of you to help her out. Treat this as a leadership exercise. Run _Program Training X,_ level 2."

And with that, the entire Danger Room morphed into what could have easily been a scene from a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie. It looked like Time Square, just completely destroyed and with many robots trying to– "Shit!" Laue hissed as a robot tried to punch her from behind. Thankfully Alex was there to save her, sending his red plasma blasts straight at the robot's face, which tore off its body.

"Thanks." Laue said, but Alex was already off fighting another handful of robots.

Laue felt very useless as she began running around like a scared chicken, hopping over fallen rubble and avoiding robot hands from impacting a single part of her body.

"Hanging in there?" Pixie asked from a couple feet above. Laue glanced up just in time to see a head hurtling itself towards the pink-haired Mutant.

"Watch out!" Laue said as she motioned towards the holographic head. Pixie didn't have to dodge it however, because Kitty hopped in at that point, grabbing Pixie and Laue by the hand so that when the head should have impacted the teens, it phased through them instead.

"How do these robots work, anyway?" Laue panted as she dodged one of Alex's rogue plasma blasts. "I mean – how do they know we're there?" she added. In the back of her mind, she was beginning to think that even if she could trigger it any time she wanted, her ability was completely useless. But maybe...

"They can see movement." Pixie explained; she too was out of breath, flying above but still having to dodge the debris.

_Well then,_ Laue thought with a mischievous smirk in Pixie's direction, _I'll just have to give them no movement to see._

She continued running, but Laue was now focused on turning herself invisible. It took so much hard work, and when she did manage to do it consciously, she was mentally drained afterward. For what seemed like minutes, Laue just ran, eventually managing to climb onto a surface a couple feet into the air, where she didn't have any robots after her.

By then, she glanced down at herself and was glad to find that she'd turned invisible some time during her run. Perfect – just what she needed. If robots couldn't see her, she could easily kick some holographic ass!

The first two were way too easy. Laue saw them from the corner of her eye – Jubilee was all by herself, trying to get them off her back by sending sparks their way, but it only pushed them to be even more aggressive.

She ran over to the robots and just before one had the opportunity to knock out Jubilee with its big silver fist, Laue grabbed at its back and after struggling for a few moments, managed to undo the wiring. She jumped from the back of the first to hang onto the shoulders of the second and did the same thing, a tad faster this time.

Jubilee looked a little confused at first, but she didn't hesitate to run off to try and do something else productive. Before she did, she whispered a quick 'thank you' into the wind, her eyes staring blankly a couple feet to Laue's left.

Next, Laue made her way to Kitty, who had managed to accumulate quite a crowd of robots. Before she could get to her roommate however, she was hit by a robot. It was only then that she realized her ability was no longer working.

"Shit!" she cursed.

Laue found herself sprawled on the asphalt floor, rubbing at her sore face. A few moments later, she heard Scott command the Danger Room to stop, and everything slowly vanished, the room turning into its metallic state.

"You guys are improving." Scott said, but when Laue caught sight of his face, she realized he was less than pleased. "Kitty, you did good work out there. You can go change – the rest of you..." he drifted off, walking over to Laue and stopping only when he was directly in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, crouching down to take a better look at her face. Laue couldn't see his eyes through the red-tinted glasses, but his visible facial features were grave.

"I'm fine." she said.

"Good, then. You guys were _sloppy_. And what did I say about _teamwork_?" Scott pressed. "You left Laue hanging – if this would have been a real situation, we wouldn't have been able to stop and Laue could have gotten hurt – or killed." he explained sternly.

Laue felt guilty. She'd been the one that had lacked communication skills out there. She'd just up and left everyone, thinking about her own survival.

"Go change, we'll have another session on Thursday." he said flatly. No one thought twice before bolting. Laue got to her feet and rubbed her face, about to follow suit, only to have Scott place a hand on her shoulder. "Wait, just a moment." he said.

"I'm sorry – I'm not really sure–" Laue began.

"You did well out there. Professor X told me your handle on your mutant power was minimal at best, but from what I can tell, you can already handle yourself pretty well." he said with a hint of a smile. "Invisibility, huh? That can be quite useful." he added.

"It's a come and go thing. I kind of didn't know if it was going to work or not just now... I left it to luck." Laue admitted sheepishly.

"Well, Xavier asked me if I could give you a few extra lessons." Scott said, "He also told me you would probably object and that I shouldn't push it. So I'm leaving the option out in the open." he added, which made Laue scowl. The Professor seemed to be acting as though he knew everything about her just because he could read her mind and she hated it.

Especially because he kind of _did_ know everything.

"I uh..." Laue began. She didn't know what to say. Did she want lessons from Mr. Serious McGrouchypants?

"I wasn't very trusting when I first got here ten years ago," Scott began, pausing as if to think about what he was going to say next. "But Charles helped me and in the process, I found a family – a place where I belonged." he explained.

That evening, as she pulled on a pair of sweatpants she'd borrowed from Kitty until she could do some shopping for her own clothes, Laue thought about Scott. She'd accepted his offer of lessons, and the first one was tomorrow morning at six o'clock sharp. What the hell did she have to lose, right?

"Did you ever have one on ones with Scott?" Laue asked Kitty as the two prepared for bed. Kitty was already in her pajamas, her hair in a messy bun.

"Oh, so you're going to have private sessions with Scott?" Kitty asked with a sneaky smirk, "Lucky you. Let's hope Jean doesn't get jealous." she joked.

"That's just gross. Scott is like, ten years older than me." she pointed out. "So, did you ever have private sessions?" Laue asked.

"Nope, but I did have quite a few opportunities to train with him. Never alone though. Anyway, I doubt it's going to be too bad. He probably thinks your cute – by the way he stood up for you today." Kitty giggled.

"Oh, shut up." Laue rolled her eyes.

Without another word, the two girls went to bed. Once the lights were out and her eyes were used to the darkness, Laue stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought. These last couple days had been tough on her emotionally. She was trying hard not to seem weak, smiling at people and pretending that she liked them, but in all reality, she felt so alone. She couldn't trust anyone, and no one trusted her. Why would they? She was the newcomer amidst a crowd of people who were like family.

It was around eleven o'clock when Laue finally started to feel sleepy. She turned on her side and closed her eyes, letting the warm blankets caress her into a slumber. She didn't even know how long she was asleep when she was startled awake by the sound of Kitty moving around in a haste.

"What's wrong?" Laue mumbled, half-asleep. She sat up in her four-poster bed and blinked the sleep away, glancing at the alarm clock on her nightstand. _3:_56am, it read. Moments later, she found herself staring at Kitty, who was half-way through getting dressed into her X-Men uniform.

"I don't know. The Professor called the team to the War Room – it must be important." Kitty answered in a hushed voice.

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><p><em>AN: These next couple chapters will form a sort of story arc. I hope it's not so bad!_


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